Through the Rose Lane Project, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is giving buses and streetcars priority on the road, helping more Portlanders get where they need to go more reliably and quickly.
What is a "Rose Lane"?
A “Rose Lane” is a transit route where buses and streetcars have priority on the road in congested areas. There are over 20 tools we can use to make transit faster and more reliable. As we develop this project, we will determine which tools from the city’s Enhanced Transit Toolbox best meet the need and context in specific locations. Not all Rose Lane corridors will include bus-only lanes.
The vision
The Rose Lane vision is a network of transit lines where short-term and long-term fixes improve transit service where it's most delayed. Over time, as transit moves faster and more reliably on these lines, service will increase, helping move more people. Future transit service will be 12-minute frequency or better all day and 10-minute frequency or better during peak hours.
The Rose Lane Project grew out of recommendations in the city’s Enhanced Transit Corridors Plan, adopted by city council in June 2018.
This vision included dozens of projects ready for a quick rollout in 2020 and 2021. It also included several places where more development was needed. Learn more about this vision in the Rose Lane Project Report, which city council adopted in February 2020.
Realizing the Rose Lane vision requires partnership between PBOT and TriMet. Our two agencies will work together on implementation.
Putting people first
The Rose Lane Project will center the values of racial equity and transportation justice throughout its development and implementation. The design of the project and its evaluation will be guided by the following better-off measures:
People of color will experience average commute times comparable to white people.
People will consider public transit to be a rapid and reliable choice for daily transportation.
People who use public transit will have more choices for where they want to live and work.
People who use public transit will have lower transportation costs (time and money).
People will be healthier from improved air quality.
Adjusting to the pandemic and building a just recovery
Covid-19 has had a profound impact on the way we get around, including Portland’s transit system. It has also amplified racial inequities. Our pandemic response must prioritize racial justice and investments in communities most affected by this public health crisis.
The Rose Lane Project is still a priority for PBOT. Transit remains one of the most efficient, sustainable and equitable ways to move people around our growing city. The Rose Lane Project will give buses and streetcars a leg up, helping today’s transit riders enjoy a better journey and encouraging more to get on board when it is safe to do so. The improvements we plan to roll out this year will have an immediate impact on Portlanders who must keep riding transit during the pandemic, including frontline workers. It is also a down payment on the future we want, helping our most important transit lines to keep running smoothly as traffic returns and demand grows.
The Rose Lane Project can help us achieve a just recovery. The project timeline is subject to change as we assess and respond to changing conditions.
Learn more about PBOT’s Covid-19 response through the Safe Streets Initiative
Learn more about TriMet’s Covid-19 response efforts
Project Background
Why Rose Lanes?
Making transit better and getting more people to choose the bus or train over driving alone is critical for achieving our climate and transportation justice goals.
The Rose Lane Project will give buses and streetcars an advantage. It will help today’s transit riders have a better journey and encourage more people to get on board when it is safer to do so. As our city recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic and traffic increases, Rose Lanes will keep our most important transit lines running smoothly. This will help prevent the kinds of delays transit experienced in 2019.
Check out this short video to see how transit priority helps move more people efficiently, sustainability and equitably!
Planning
June 2018. The Rose Lane Project effort grew from the Enhanced Transit Network identified in the city’s Enhanced Transit Corridors Plan. This network would address the following city goals:
Advance equity, including racial equity and transportation justice.
Reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change by encouraging more transit ridership.
Improve the resiliency and safety of our transportation system.
Provide transportation options for a growing city.
Make more efficient use of the public right-of-way.
Increase transit ridership and reach the goal of 25% of trips in Portland made by transit.
Help meet the region’s vision to “make transit more convenient, accessible, affordable, and frequent for everyone.” (Regional Transit Strategy: 2018 Regional Transportation Plan)
Late 2018. Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly sped up the delivery of this vision by initiating the Rose Lane Project effort within PBOT in late 2018.
2019-2020. PBOT collected public feedback on Rose Lanes, including:
An online community survey, taken by over 2,000 people
Three, 2-hour open houses held in East Portland, North/Northeast Portland, and downtown. These were in-person open houses where people could view various designs (see below), speak to project staff, comment in writing, or complete the online survey
Presentations to 14 community groups
February 2020. City council adopted the Rose Lane Project, bolstered by broad and deep community support.
Pilot approach
PBOT will take a pilot approach to the Rose Lane vision. We’ll test the program with low-cost, quick builds, then track their performance. This way, we can easily change or remove pilots that don’t meet the project’s goals. We will also learn if behavior changes in response to faster, more reliable transit.
Most Rose Lane pilots will be in place for three to five years. PBOT could make successful pilots permanent sooner.
Completed projects
As Rose Lane projects roll out on city streets, we will add them here. PBOT may deliver on these improvements in many ways, including through the Central City in Motion project and the Transit Priority Spot Improvement program.
Rose Lane projects completed (last updated November 3, 2020):
SW Madison Street Bus/Bike Lane Project (delivered through Central City in Motion)
NW Everett Street Bus Lane Project (delivered through Central City in Motion)
Burnside Bridge Bus/Bike Lane Project (delivered through Central City in Motion)
NW 18th and 19th Avenues at NW Flanders Street floating bus island
MLK Jr. Boulevard and Grand Avenue Bus Lane Improvements (delivered through Central City in Motion)
Re-route of the Line 17 onto the Transit Mall as part of the NW Broadway Bus/Bike Lane improvements
NE 57th Avenue at NE Sandy/Alameda spot improvements
SE 52nd Avenue at SE Powell/Foster spot improvements
NW 21st Avenue at NW Glisan spot improvements
N Greeley Avenue between N Killingsworth and N Ainsworth spot improvements
NE Sandy at NE Prescott spot improvements
NE Prescott at NE 82nd Avenue spot improvements (construction underway)
Signal upgrades at:
N Williams Avenue and NE Wheeler Avenue
N Broadway and N Larrabee Avenue
Documents and resources
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